Why are perpetrators invisible?

Only a thumbnail-size portion of our field of view is actually sharp—the farther something is from our focus, the more the contrasts are blurred. Normally our gaze constantly sweeps back and forth and our brains then stitch the individual components together to compose a thorough image. That’s why we are subject to the illusion that we see everything clearly. During a dangerous situation like the one in the photo above, a gun attracts our attention in such a way that the eyes no longer pan. The face at the edge of the focus remains blurred. For this reason victims are often unable to recall such details later on— although the perpetrator may have even been standing directly in front of them.